Mistakes costly in M.V.’s 7-6 loss

By Pete Mollica

The Scrappers made some base running blunders and couldn’t rally for the win.

NILES — Some shabby base running and a couple of costly errors kept the Mahoning Valley Scrappers from winning just their third series this season as they dropped a 7-6 contest to the Vermont Lake Monsters Friday night before 3,498 fans at Eastwood Field.

The Scrappers (10-14) had to battle back from a 6-0 deficit to make a game out of it, but some costly base running mistakes and two errors kept them from pulling ahead of the Lake Monsters.

For five innings the Scrappers couldn’t do much of anything as they fell behind 6-0, but then they rallied for two runs in the sixth and four more in the eighth, but just couldn’t overtake Vermont (14-10).

“I was very disappointed in our base running,” said Scrappers manager Travis Fryman. “We cost ourselves at least two runs on the bases and another two with our errors.

“We’ve been running the bases pretty well this year, but tonight was the worst we’ve ever been,” he said. “I’m not concerned with our offense, we’ve been hitting the ball very well, but tonight we killed ourselves on the bases.

The Scrappers, who had just four hits in the first five innings, finished outhitting the Lake Monsters 14-12, including four hits by first baseman Brock Simpson.

“I’ve been seeing the ball very well this year and I’ve spent a lot of time with our hitting coach and it’s paid off,” Simpson said. “For the last four years, between college and here, I get up every morning knowing that I’m going to be playing baseball. That’s what I do, now it’s my job.”

The Scrappers fell behind early as the Lake Monsters scored in each of the first four innings building their 6-0 advantage.

They scored two in the third on a pair of solo home runs by Jesus Valdez and Tyler Moore, but after the fourth they got only one more run and that came with the help of a Scrappers error in the seventh inning.

The Scrappers had little offense the first five innings. The only real scoring threat they had was in the first inning when they had runners on second and third with one out, but couldn’t score.

They finally got things going in the sixth when they connected on five singles and a walk, but only came up with two runs after taking themselves out of the inning with their base running.

Mahoning Valley loaded the bases on infield singles by Ryan Blair and Isaias Velasquez and another single by Jeremy Tice. Simpson then hit a shot off the right field wall that scored Blair, but Velasquez held up on the play and then was caught by Tice and tagged out for the second out. Juan Valdez walked and Ramon Hernandez singled home another run before the inning ended.

In the eighth inning the Scrappers scored four times with the big blow being a three-run homer by Valdes to right field. They added the fourth run on an RBI sacrifice fly by Corteze Armstrong.

The Scrappers had two runners on base in the ninth, but were unable to plate the tying run.

Blair and Hernandez each had three hits for the Scrappers, who had 10 of their 14 hits over the final four innings.

“These kids are swinging the bats well right now; the more they play the better they get,” said Fryman.

The Scrappers used six pitchers in the contest with starter Matt Langwell (0-1) taking the loss. The other five relievers allowed just one run and four hits over 62‚Ñ3 innings.

———

VERMONTSCRAPPERS

abrhbiabrhbi

Stouffer 2b4110Blair lf4130

Dugger dh5133Velasquez 2b3010Souza 3b4000Chisenhall ss5000

Valdez lf5122Tice 3b4210

Guerraro rf5000Simpson 1b5141

Moore 1b5121Valdes cf4113

Englund cf3210Hernandez rf4131

Nolan 2b3000Alcombrack c4010

Arias ss4130Webb pr0000

Booker c1000

Armstrong dh2001

Totals387126Totals366146

Vermont212100100—7

Scrappers000002040—6

E—Nolan (1), Alcombrack (2), Chisenhall (7). DP—Vermont 3, Scrappers 1. LOB—Vermont 8. Scrappers 11. 2B—Arias (1), Simpson (3). 3B—Dugger (1). HR—Valdez (1), Moore (4), Valdes (2). SB—Souza (6), Englund 2 (3), Dugger (1), Arias (1), Armstrong (2). CS—Nolan (1). SF—Armstrong.

IPHRERBBSO

Vermont

Peacock W, 2-15 1-372211

Stewart2-320010

Peralta123321

Slovak S 4231120

Scrappers

Langwell L, 0-12 1-385512

Ramirez1 2-321103

Grening220011

Arias100001

Rieck100002

WP—Grening, Rieck. HBP—by Armstrong (Peralta). Umpires—Home, Shaylor Smith; Bases, Tim Eastman. T—3:24; A—3,498.

HOW THEY SCORED

Vermont 1st — Blake Stouffer walked. Jake Dugger tripled down left field line, Stouffer scores. Steve Souza popped out to second. Jesus Valdez hits infield single to third, Dugger scores. Michael Guerrero pops out to second. Tyler Moore flies out to right. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Vermont 2nd — Stephen Englund hits infield single. Rickey Nolan strikes out. Dani Arias infield single to second, England to second. Blake Stouffer singles to left, Englund to third, Arias to second. Dugger singles to center, Englund scores, Arias to third, Stouffer to scond. Souza grounds into a double play, short-to-second-to-first. Dugger out at second. 1 run, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.

Vermont 3rd — Valdez homers to left field. Guerrero strikes out. Moore homers to right field. Pitching change: Wilfredo Ramirez replaces Matt Langwell. Englund flies out to center. Nolan strikes out. 2 runs 2 hits, 0 errors. 0 LOB.

Vermont 4th — Arias doubled to left-center. Stouffer strikes out. Arias steals third base. Dugger singles to left, Arias scores. Souza strikes out. Dugger steals second base. Valdez flies out to left. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Scrappers 6th — Ryan Blair infield single to third. Isaias Velasquez infield single to short, Blair to second. Lonnie Chisenhall lines out to left field. Jeremy Tice singles to right, Blair to third, Velasquez to second. Brock Simpson singles off wall in right, Blair scores, Velasquez out at home (9-4-2), Tice to third, Simpson to second on throw home. Juan Valdes walks. Ramon Hernandez infield single to short, Tice scores, Simpson to third, Valdes to second. Robby Alcombrack hits into fielders choice, Hernandez out at second. 2 runs, 5 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.

Vermont 7th — Guerrero strikes out. Moore grounds out to third. Englund walks. Englund steals second. Englund steals third and scores on error by catcher (throw). Nolan walks. Nolan caught stealing at second base. 1 run, 0 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB.

Scrappers 8th — Tice walks, Simpson doubles down right field line, Tice to third. Valdes homers to right field, Tice scores, Simpson scores. Pitching change: David Slovak replaces Carlos Peralta. Hernandez singles to right. Alcombrack singles to left, Hernandez to third. Armstrong flies out to left field, Hernandez scores. Donnie Webb pinch running for Alcombrack at first. Blair walks, Webb to second. Velasquez flies out to right field. Chisenhall grounds out to second base. 4 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.